Lourdes faculty member lauded for dedication

PEMBERVILLE Carole Schultz, 66, an instructor in early childhood education at Lourdes College in Sylvania who wrote articles for professional publications, died Saturday in Hospice of Northwest Ohio.

Mrs. Schultz had been given a diagnosis of cancer about two years ago. She went into hospice about three weeks ago, said Thomas Schultz, her husband of 48 years.

An instructor at the college for 20 years, she taught her last class at Lourdes on Jan. 13 and then was hospitalized for about two weeks.

'She wanted to teach so badly. She would take chemotherapy and still get to class.

She was amazing,' he said.

A lifelong resident of the Pemberville area, she began her teaching career at the college level after rearing the couple's three children.

She graduated from Eastwood High School in the early 1960s, and was involved in the activities of her daughters, including 4H and Girl Scouts.

She also was a playground supervisor at Webster Elementary.

She obtained an associate degree from Owens College, graduating in the same class as her daughter, Donna Sandwisch, in the early 1980s.

'That was the first time that a mother and daughter were in the same graduating class at Owens,' Mr. Schultz said.

The degree allowed Mrs. Schultz to follow in the footsteps of her mother, Adeline Ridenour, who taught Latin and English at the former Tontogany High School and Eastwood High School. She died in 1997.

'She was committed to becoming a teacher. She saw how much her mother enjoyed teaching,' Mr. Schultz said.

Early in her career, she worked for a state agency as a licensing agent to review the instructional methods of teachers and schools and taught preschool children at a church in Stony Ridge.

At Lourdes, she was active in the faculty senate and was past president of the group.

She was a member of the committee on rank and promotions.

She also worked on the accreditation process for the education department.

'She was a leader in that process.

'She did a good job because they became certified,' her husband said.

'She spent a lot of time making things happen,' he remarked.

She was a contributor to professional journals.

Her publications included Effects of Peers on Children's Play Styles and Pre Kindergarten Early Literacy Core Curriculum.

'She was a great teacher. Her kids loved her,' Mr. Schultz said.

'When you have students come to visit her in hospice, you know you had good things going for you.'

Michael Smith, dean of the school of professional studies at Lourdes, met Mrs. Schultz shortly after arriving at the college 12 years ago.

'Carole was a outstanding teacher whose passion for early childhood education and her students were very much her focus. She will be missed,' said Mr. Smith, who is chairman of the education department.

She belonged to many professional educational affiliations, including National Association for the Education of Young Children, Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children, Toledo Association for the Education of Young Children, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Instruction, and the Ohio Coalition of Associate Early Childhood Degree Programs.

She also was an avid golfer, picking up the activity many years ago so that she could spend time with her husband.

Mr. Schultz said she routinely delivered longer drives than the men she competed against.

She also was a former coordinator of a collective Bible school sponsored by four churches in Luckey.

At that time, she was a member of Zion United Methodist Church in Luckey.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday in Woodville United Methodist Church.

Family and friends will be received after 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Marsh Funeral Home.

The family requests that tributes be made to Woodville United Methodist Church, Planned Pethood of Toledo, or Lourdes College Schoarship Fund in her name.

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